Our Verdict

The Metolius Personal Anchor System (PAS) is the winner of our Editors' Choice award for anchor chains. We liked its overall bomber feeling and ease of use. It seems to combine the best of both worlds: nylon to offer some fall absorption and Dyneema to give it a thinner profile and durability. If we were obsessed on weight for alpine climbing or sport climbing we would go with the BlueWater Titan Loop. Or if we wanted the most fall absorption, we would go with the Sterling Chain Reactor. But for most applications, this is our favorite anchor chain.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Likes

The Personal Anchor System feels bomber. It is not too wide but has a thick and burly feel. The Blue Water Titan Loop is technically stronger but this just feels more substantial, which is nice if it is your only connection to the anchor. At the same time it is relatively narrow, which makes it feel not too bulky. The fact it is 73 percent nylon gives it great fall absorption qualities. Not quite as good as the Sterling Chain Reactor, but still good. The webbing is has a white pattern that makes it stand out from your harness. The last loop has a different color that makes it easy to find. We expect this to be one of the most durable anchor chains out there.

We think this was the first anchor chain, or it was at least the first one to gain popularity and launch the whole category. So Metolius gets innovation respect for that.

Dislikes

We only have minor dislikes. The stitching which makes it feel so burly, it also very stiff. It can feel a little awkward to handle at times. The fact it is not 100 percent nylon means it is a little less ideal to fall on. That said, you don't want to fall on a nylon sling either. These are not intended to fall on. Please read our buying advice to see when these are not appropriate to use.

Value

This is the most expensive anchor chain, but not by much.

Keep in mind when price shopping that sometimes this is sold with a Metolius Element locking carabiner and sometimes it is not. We like the Element biner, but it was not one of the top scoring in our locking carabiner review (it does not have our favorite screw gate).